


Something Only You Can Do

by PompousPickle



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Brotherly feels, Character Study, Gen, drown me in Izumi Brothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-08-26 01:10:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16671913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PompousPickle/pseuds/PompousPickle
Summary: Once, when Mitsuki was ten years old, he ran away from home.





	Something Only You Can Do

Mitsuki Izumi was ten years old the first time he ran to the Zero Arena.

He had begged his mother to take him to an audition. He was still too young for most agencies, and he knew that. So when an entertainment agency announced that they were scouting to enroll young trainees for a new program, Mitsuki begged and pleaded for his mother to take him.

He was willing to go to any academy. He was willing to learn singing, dancing, acting, whatever it took. He knew that he would have to work hard, but he was willing to do it. Anything for that dream. And he knew that someday, he would definitely stand on that stage.

“He’s still young. And he’s willing to work around his weaknesses,” he heard his mother say a few hours after the audition, to one of the company’s managers. They had gathered the parents of his age group into a meeting room, to discuss results. Mitsuki and the other prospects gathered around, ears pressed to the door, eager to hear the news. “Is there anything I can tell him to improve on?”

Mitsuki was young, but he knew perfectly well what rejection sounded like.

A few of his new friends looked at him, sympathetically. However, he waved them off with a smile, putting a finger to his lips before they could say anything. He wanted to know the answer. He wanted to improve.

“Your son is very charming, Izumi-san,” the man said, his voice smooth and sympathetic. “And he has a lot of enthusiasm. However, there isn’t anything particularly special about him. He’s still young. Perhaps if you worked on developing a talent for him, he’ll have an easier time at future auditions.”

Mitsuki froze.

_There isn’t anything particularly special about him._

His friends, the friends he made while waiting for his audition, all looked on. A few shuffled away from the door. One gave Mitsuki a consoling pat on his shoulder.

Mitsuki simply didn’t move.

He hardly spoke on the car ride back. His mother told him that he didn’t pass. Nothing more. She told him that they could invest in dance lessons. She told him that they could maybe hire a vocal coach. She wasn’t willing to give up. And she was willing to take whatever funds they had to make Mitsuki’s dream come true. She was willing to find a talent for her completely unremarkable, talentless son.

Mitsuki didn’t know what he wanted to do. But he didn’t want to waste her time.

“Would you teach me how to bake?” Mitsuki asked instead, voice small. “I know you said I can’t use the oven alone yet. But…I want…I want to make something for Iori’s birthday.”

Mitsuki saw his mother’s eyes in the rear-view mirror, trained on him carefully before turning back to the road. She then smiled. And even at a young age, Mitsuki knew when his mother was trying to hide herself for the sake of her sons.

“Of course, dear. That sounds like fun.”

\---

The words kept playing in his head when he got home though. He had tried to drive them out as best he could. He told Iori all about the friends he made. He showed his father the dance routine they had learned for the audition. They had applauded him. His mother too, smiling brightly as her son hit the final pose, ever-so-slightly off beat.

Mitsuki grinned, but the only thing he could hear were the manager’s words, echoing over the sound of the music.

_There isn’t anything particularly special about him._

He needed to go see Zero.

He wasn’t sure where Zero would _be._ No one was sure where he was. No one had heard from him in nearly four years. But Mitsuki still remembered. He remembered seeing him live and he remembered meeting him. And he knew that if he saw Zero one more time, he’d be able to tell him exactly what to do. He was certain Zero could tell him exactly _what_ made Mitsuki special.

He just had to find him first.

It was a long shot, but the Zero Arena was the only clue he had left. So he grabbed for his allowance. It was just enough for two bus tickets and dinner at a convenience store. It wasn’t much, but he knew it would do. He grabbed some snacks, and his framed picture of Zero, just in case. Then he stuffed it all into his school backpack, and he was off.

\---

He had told the bus driver that he was going to see his grandmother, and that she lived near the Zero Arena. The driver had no reason to doubt him, and told him exactly which stop to get off on. Mitsuki decided to spend his dinner money giving him a nice tip. He wouldn’t need it, he decided. He wouldn’t be long.

He just needed to see something, _anything,_ that would assure him that this was the right choice. That he could be an idol. He just needed someone to tell him that he could continue. That he didn’t need to feel bad about spending his parents’ money on lessons and auditions. That he wouldn’t always disappoint his mother like he just had.

He just needed someone to tell him that he was special.

But when he got there, all he saw was the arena.

It sparkled, of course. But not as brightly as it did when he first saw it, years ago. Back then, it wasn’t even _called_ the Zero Arena. Its old name had become lost, in such a short amount of time. Zero had completely rewritten the arena’s entire history, in the span of a few years. Mitsuki sighed. He was certain no one had ever once turned Zero down in an audition.

Back then, the arena was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with fans. Excitement echoed across every single wall, every step leading to the front door. People buzzed around him, lights shimmering as they all excitedly talked about the idol. Music played over the speakers, getting everyone ready for the concert. Mitsuki remembered grabbing onto his mother’s hand, shaking in anticipation. There was so much going on around him, but there wasn’t an ounce of fear in his body.

Now, the entire complex was empty, from the front door to the park overlooking the arena. It was getting dark, and it was cold. And it was completely silent all around him.

And Mitsuki Izumi was scared.

“Mitsuki!”

His mother’s voice shouted out, pulling Mitsuki’s eyes away from the building. His mother was running to him, his father in tow. And in his father’s arms, Iori. Mitsuki could just barely make him out in the dying evening light, but he immediately moved his hands to his face, to wipe his eyes. He couldn’t let his brother see him like this. He had already made them all worry. The last thing he wanted to do was let them see him cry.

His mother darted forward, grabbing for him before Mitsuki could even open his mouth to apologize. He wanted to say that he was sorry. He wanted to explain. He wanted to say _something_. “I’m sorry,” his mother whispered, beating him to it. “I’m so sorry, Mitsuki. I’m so so sorry. You’re so incredibly special to me. Please never do that again. Please just…”

Mitsuki couldn’t hold it in anymore. He was such a fool. And he couldn’t keep himself from crying anymore.

So he grabbed onto his mother’s shoulders, and he wept.

“See, Mama?” Iori said as his father started to get closer. “I told you that Nii-chan would come here.” He wiggled in his dad’s arms, begging to be let down. Mitsuki looked up and moved away from his mother’s arms, blinking to clear his eyes again. He looked over at his father, who simply smiled. He smiled as though he weren’t ashamed of Mitsuki at all. As though Mitsuki hadn’t done something incredibly irresponsible and wrong.

And if it weren’t for Iori making his way over towards him, he would have burst into tears again.

Iori grabbed for his brother’s hand, and Mitsuki gripped it immediately. The younger boy smiled, just ever-so-slightly, and began to walk over to the overlook.

They were still both too short to see completely over the barrier. The first time they came, Iori was only a baby, and Mitsuki was even shorter than he was now. He had begged for his father to lift him up, so that he could see the full arena standing over the water. He was taller now, and he could see the arena much better, if a little obscured. And he could see the sun, setting over the arena and casting it slowly into darkness.

“You talk about the arena a lot, Nii-chan. You must really love this place,” Iori then stated. It wasn’t a question.

Mitsuki nodded, sniffing away his tears as he looked down at Iori’s hand, wrapped around his.

“Then I love it too.”

Mitsuki laughed. That was just like his brother. He was always so firm, and always so observant. And he was always there to support his brother. Even if there was nothing particularly unique about Mitsuki, Iori cheered him on anyway. Iori saw something in him. And no matter what, he was always Mitsuki’s biggest fan.

And what kind of idol would Mitsuki be if he disappointed his fans?

“I’m going to be an idol someday, Iori,” he finally said, putting on a firm smile. He gripped his little brother’s hand, as though it gave him strength. “I’m going to be a super cool idol, just like Zero. And I’m going to have a concert and you and mom and dad are all going to be invited.”

Iori nodded, as though Mitsuki was speaking an absolute truth, rather than wishful thinking. “With music, and bright lights. Everyone will have those lights you like,” he said, already planning out his big brother’s debut live.

“Right,” Mitsuki laughed, suddenly feeling all of his troubles fade away. “Bright orange,” he decided. He could almost imagine it, standing there like that. The sinking sun cast an orange light, shimmering across the water of the arena park. The entire lake lit up with the orange glow, like a sparkling sea of pen-lights, all shining just for him.

“Come on, Iori. Let’s go home,” he said gently, his smile suddenly no longer a mask that he was wearing for his brother’s sake.

“Right, Nii-chan,” Iori said with a nod, cracking a smile in kind.

The two brothers turned to head back to their parents, as the sun sank further down, and the brilliant orange sky faded into a calming dark blue.

\---

“Come on, Iori,” Mitsuki said, eleven years later. They stood in front of the water again. Night had fully fallen, this time. And it was so dark out that no one was certain that day would even come. His brother had run off, after the Music Festa, and no one knew where to find him.

No one except Mitsuki.

Nagi had pulled them all through, even in their darkest moment. Their manager had kept them dreaming. There were seven of them now, all supporting each other and living the same dream. And as he watched them, Iori seemed a little less ashamed of himself, a little less afraid.

But still, even now, there was something only Mitsuki could do, as his big brother.

“Let’s go home.”

Iori stared at him, and then stared at their hands, linked and working towards the same dream. He looked back up, a tiny smile on his lips for the first time since the disastrous event.

“Right, Nii-san.”

The others began to head back, and Mitsuki began to follow in suit. Iori paused, however, looking out over the Arena. The lack of motion pulled at Mitsuki’s hand, still grabbing onto his brothers, forcing him to stop. Mitsuki followed his line of sight, towards the arena and then beyond, at the sky. And there he saw them, against the dark blue sky: seven small stars glowing, leading the way back home. 

**Author's Note:**

> As always, you can find me @pompouspicklep on twitter! Come talk to me about idols~


End file.
